‘Students at Drew seem to love every second of their college careers, and that is something very important to me.’
Maria Jose Ruiz Birriel
St. Mary’s School
San Juan, P.R.
About Maria
English literature is a big passion for Maria, who placed first in a literature contest twice in four years at St. Mary’s. She also was co-captain of the school dance team and twice was first runner-up in an annual fashion show. At Drew, she’ll major in theatre arts, minor in French and continue to dance.
Why Drew?
“Because the school offers a faculty that truly cares about their students. And when I visited the school it felt right, safe and homey. In addition, the location is perfect. Madison is a great quiet town with an amazing proximity to the greatest city this world has to offer: New York City.”
Shauna Singh
Nightingale-Bamford School
South Ozone Park, N.Y.
About Shauna
At Nightingale-Bamford, Shauna thrived in science, Spanish and math. Her extracurricular passions included volleyball, acting and singing, and outside of school, she tutored children and worked as a surgery intern at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. At Drew, she looks forward to “getting a hands-on pre-med learning experience” and playing volleyball.
Why Drew?
“Drew is about an hour and a half from my home in New York City, so I’ll always have my family close by. Also, it’s a pretty small campus, meaning that my professors will have more time to understand me as an individual rather than a student in a class of hundreds. Drew also provides an excellent pre-med track, and on such a lovely campus, I know that will be able to focus on my studies and achieve my goal of being a doctor. Finally, there’s the student life. The students at Drew seem to love every second of their college careers, and that is something very important to me.”
Olivia Thompson
The Loomis Chaffee School
Windsor, Conn.
About Olivia
In high school, Olivia pursued her passion for performance in theater and music. Her interests are broad, however, ranging from the plays of William Shakespeare to world issues and gender studies. At Drew, she’ll concentrate on theatre, English and gender studies. In particular, she’s excited about meeting new people, getting to know her professors and joining clubs.
Why Drew?
“My love for theater is what brought me to Drew. I also chose Drew because of the diverse and intricate student body. As someone who enjoys discussing current topics and problems in the world, I wanted to go to a school where I could talk with people that have multiple different perspectives that are different to mine.”
